India calls for cooperation with France in clean energy transition

New Delhi: India called for greater cooperation with France in the field of clean energy and highlighted New Delhi’s plans for green transitioning to EVs and hydrogen energy.

Inaugurating the Indo-French Workshop on Clean and Sustainable Energy Technologies (INFINITE) at CSIR – National Physical Laboratory in New Delhi, Dr. S. Chandrasekhar, Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, said that the Government in 2022 had set a target of installing 100 GW of solar energy.

He added that using the “Thar Desert” as a site for solar power generation, India is estimated to generate up to 2,100 GW of solar energy.

Indian renewable sector ranks 4th on the list of the world’s most attractive renewable energy sectors and Solar energy is the most abundant source of renewable power in the country.

Dr Chandrasekhar referred to another initiative that is the National Biofuel Policy, which aims to achieve a 20% blending of ethanol in petrol and a 5% blending of biodiesel in diesel by 2030.

Dr Chandrasekhar pointed out that an area to focus on is Carbon Capture and Storage.

“As estimated by NITI Aayog, India has a total geological CO2 storage capacity of 400-600 Gt considering the depleted oil and gas reservoirs, un-mineable coal seams, saline aquifers, basalts” he said.

“I hope the process and technologies that will be discussed in this workshop will be of enormous potential in mitigating the impact of climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions”, Secretary added.

In her address, Dr. N. Kalaiselvi Director General, CSIR and Secretary DSIR, said that India needs huge augmentation in the manufacturing of renewable energy technologies and infrastructures.

She underlined that partnership with France and other G20 countries are required for green energy generation, storage and conversion, particularly green hydrogen, green ammonia, and energy storage infrastructures.

“India and France have long-standing bilateral research co-operation especially to augment research on clean and renewable energies” she added.

Pr. Antoine Petit, CEO of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) expressed appreciation for the strong partnership between the two countries and emphasized the importance of collaboration in achieving a sustainable energy transition through new bilateral programs.